Don’t Forget: Right Here. Right Now. God Is Present.

You might be curled up in a ball on the couch right now, sipping some tea and snuggling in your fuzzy socks, watching the sun dip behind the clouds, feeling purposeless and small. You might be stuck in traffic, reading these words as horns honk ceaselessly around you, feeling stagnant in the monotony of the day-to-day. You might be exhausted, flipping through your news feed, bored and crabby and desperate for something to fill the hole in your heart. You may be humming in the shower, not a care in the world.

Wherever you are right now, I want you to know that the Lord is with you.

You may be struggling with a huge decision. You may want something or someone with all your heart, but still feel unsure of the direction to head. You may feel like your back’s against the wall and you just don’t know how, or what, choice to make. You may be just plain confused.

Whatever you’re facing right now, I want you to know that the Lord is guiding you.

I know sometimes it seems crazy to believe in the unseen. To put your faith into something you cannot touch, cannot feel, cannot taste, cannot hold, cannot experience in any tangible way. It seems ridiculous to put your heart, your faith, and your trust into a creator who claims to be there, but still seems so physically absent.

But that is exactly what faith is – trusting the unknown.

Maybe you’re a stubborn person, one who always tries to have things your way. Maybe you’re confident, and like to plan the order and direction of your life. Or maybe you’re like me, who wants so desperately to grab ahold of the reins, to steer, to try to be in control because I find power in making my own decisions.

But the thing about faith, is that sometimes God doesn’t want you to have all the control.

Sometimes trusting in Him doesn’t mean you get to shape the path of your life or change what happens around you. Sometimes leaning on something far greater than your own human hands means loosening your grip on those reins.

Sometimes being a person of faith means letting go altogether.

See, true faith is letting yourself be led. It’s putting aside your own selfish desires and self-proclaimed strengths and leaning into Him fully. It’s not trying to have all the answers, make all the decisions, be the one in charge because we’re all imperfect beings and simply can’t be.

True faith is knowing we serve a loving God who is guiding us and fighting with us every step of the way.

As daughters and sons and sisters and brothers and mothers and fathers and children in Christ, we are taught to lean on Him in the good times and bad. We are encouraged to take strength from His word and to find healing in His path. We are encouraged to put our faith in Him, and let our paths be shifted in His glory.

Sometimes this is easy. Sometimes we hit rock bottom want nothing more than to be in His presence, finding our hope again. But sometimes, when things are going right, it’s harder to lean on Him. It’s harder to trust Him when we’re doing fine on our own. It’s harder to believe when it feels like we don’t need Him.

But we do need Him. In the good, the bad, the always, He is our Lord and we need Him.

The thing about faith is that it’s not conditional. You cannot believe when days are good, just because you’ve been blessed. And you can’t solely believe when the world is crashing in on you — you must seek Him in all your days.

And you must allow yourself to be led.

I don’t know where you are right now – maybe in a struggling relationship, maybe trying to live with an abusive partner, maybe wondering how you can mend a broken friendship, maybe on the outs with a parent or sibling, maybe just feeling lost as you head into the workforce post-graduation, maybe reeling from the loss of a loved one, maybe struggling to find work after being let go.

Maybe you’re just scared and dizzy, trying to navigate this world on your own.

Here’s the good news: you don’t have to do it alone.

Faith is letting yourself be led. It’s letting go of your rules and expectations and saying, “God, this is in your hands.” It’s trusting Him when you feel like you’re on top of the world, and it’s keeping that faith when you’re at the end of your rope.

Faith is knowing that no matter where you are or what you face, He is with you.

And he’s not going anywhere.

So put your hope in His word. Put your heart in His hands. Put your confidence in His promise and your strength in His steps. Let yourself be led by faith. Be encouraged by all the ways He has provided, and will continue to provide for those who love and honor Him.

Quit trying to take hold of the reins. Quit trying to overthink and overplan things that you have no control over. Quit ho-humming through your days, feeling purposeless and burdened. Let go and let God. And see how you are blessed when you trust Him.

Let yourself be led – through trial and tribulation, through moments of joy and calm. Let yourself be led when you are tired, when you are weak, when you are inflated with confidence, and when you feel as if you can’t lift your head from the pillow.

Know that faith in the unseen is the most difficult and most challenging faith, but in His grace you will be rewarded.

So let yourself be led, and let yourself be loved.